This in from UConn:

VERNON, Conn. – The UConn Football Coach’s Radio Show presented by Webster Bank make will make its 2014 season debut on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. with new head coach Bob Diaco.

The show airs each week on a Thursday of a Saturday game and the schedule is adjusted for non-Saturday games, including this Friday’s opener vs. BYU at Rentschler Field at 7:00 p.m. The show is heard on WTIC NewsTalk 1080 and WAVZ-1300 AM in New Haven.

The show takes place at the Wood-n-Tap on 236 Hartford Turnpike in Vernon, Conn., and is hosted by the radio play-by-play voice of the Huskies Joe D’Ambrosio.

Diaco, two student-athletes and other individuals associated with UConn football will participate in the hour-long show looking forward to upcoming match-ups.

Fans are invited to attend to watch the show live in person and there will be ticket and prize giveaways each night. The following is a list of show dates: Wednesday, August 27 for BYU; Thursday, September 4 for Stony Brook; Thursday, September 11 for Boise State; Wednesday, September 17 for USF; Thursday, September 25 for Temple; Thursday, October 9 for Tulane; Tuesday, October 21 for East Carolina; Thursday, October 30 for UCF; Thursday, November 6 for Army; Thursday, November 20 for Cincinnati; TBA for Memphis; Thursday, December 4 for SMU.

UConn Huskies OL Gus Cruz looks on during practice on August 11, 2014 in Storrs, CT. Cruz missed the final seven games of 2013 with a cardiac issue.

Imagine that you’re in your early 40’s, or any age, and your doctor tells you that you have a serious, possibly life threatening but curable issue with your heart or anything similar for that matter. Now imagine that you’re a college athlete in your early 20’s, in prime shape and are told the same thing.

We all have that injury or health issue that gives us the chills or makes us look away when we hear about it or see it.

For me, it’s whenever I see someone with a leg injury having blown out my ACL twice during college or so I thought.

But as I listened to UConn Huskies offensive lineman Gus Cruz tell his story about the cardiac issue that sidelined him for the final seven games of 2013, Myocarditis, I couldn’t help but have flashbacks to own my battle with my aortic valve leaking badly.

As he talked about how at first he was having shortness of breath doing things, I said to myself, I totally remember that.  He had been experiencing the symptoms all season long and never thought it was what it was.

Like me, he tried to battle through it but ultimately couldn’t.

“After South Florida, I couldn’t even get through the warm-ups without questioning if I could keep going,” said Cruz. “I went up to the trainers and said, ‘I can’t do it.'”

After Cruz got his diagnosis of Myocarditis, he began to think about things, questioning his own mortality, waking up during the middle of the night with palpitations, some anxiety, etc.

Because Cruz was battling Myocarditis, his heart wasn’t pumping blood properly, making it work much harder. For me, it was the same thing despite the fact that it was my aortic valve leaking.

And what made it worse for Cruz was the fact that he had some complications, developing clots in his lungs and legs.

“There were a few months when it was, Am I done with school? Will the team want me back? What’s going to happen to me in the future? Am I going to grow old?”

“Yeah, it’s dramatic, but there are times when it was like, ‘This could be it.'” Cruz said.

“You don’t want that stuff in your head.”

That one resonated with me more than everything else.

For someone to understand it, you have to have gone through it or something similar. It really does take over your mind and that’s what causes the anxiety and sometimes, the palpitations. Other times, it’s the illness or problem itself that causes those two things as well.

He would go on medications to fix the Myocarditis and blood thinners to take care of the clots. Both ended his season.

So again as I listened to Cruz continue to tell his story, I felt for him while getting chills. After he was done talking, I walked away and gathered myself for a second.

Like I had done in the past, he was telling his story, talking about things he missed that he couldn’t do, that he could once again do.

Like me, He was alive and able to talk about that sort of stuff.

And while I’ll have a good seat to watch him and the UConn football team play on Friday night, Cruz will have an even better one.

He’ll be out there in the trenches with his brothers.

And for him, that’s the best seat in the house.

photo credit: ian bethune – sox & dawgs

Paw Prints is our daily look at the happenings for the UConn Huskies football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball teams as well as the other sports the student-athletes engage in. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a DAILY basis.

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UConn Football links

Video: UConn Football Coach Bob Diaco On What He Expects From His Team Against BYU [sox & dawgs]

Breaking Bread with Bob – 8/25 [sox & dawgs]

2014 UConn IMG Sports Radio Network [sox & dawgs]

Having some fun with UConn’s Geremy Davis [jim fuller – new haven register]

Monday Presser: BYU to open [john silver – sny uconn]

UConn football hears valuable life lessons [ct post]

UConn-BYU Football: Game Week Begins [hartford courant]

Max DeLorenzo Emerging As Leader On UConn Football Team [hartford courant]

AAC Notes: UCF Opening Season In Dublin Vs. Penn State [hartford courant]

UConn defensive ends will be learning on the job [new haven register]

UConn coach Bob Diaco puts on calm face heading into season opener [new haven register]

Huskies will get Max effort from running back DeLorenzo [the day]

Early season test can only help Huskies [the hour]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Breanna Stewart Will Join Six Former Huskies at USA Basketball Fall Training Camp [sox & dawgs]

Geno dishes on 2014-15 UConn squad [jim fuller – new haven register]

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Nnamdi Amilo Earns Scholarship From UConn Men’s Basketball Program [sox & dawgs]

Other UConn related links

W. Soccer. Armstrong, Hill Honored By The American[uconn huskies]

M. Ice Hockey. UConn Hockey Announces Exhibition Game and Schedule Change [uconn huskies]

When the UConn Huskies kick off their 2014 football campaign on Friday night against the BYU Cougars, it will be the 23rd straight year that Connecticut football will be broadcast on its flagship station, WTIC AM-1080 in Hartford, the state’s only 50,000 watt AM station.

The 2014-15 football and men’s and women’s basketball season also marks the third year that the radio rights are held by IMG College, which is UConn’s multimedia rights partner.

Veteran UConn announcers Joe D’Ambrosio (play-by-play) and Wayne Norman (color commentary) return to call the action with Kevin Nathan on the sidelines.

UConn football on home Saturday dates gets going early with “Breakfast At The Rent” with Ray Dunaway and Scott Gray beginning at 6:00 a.m. For noon games, the UConn Tailgate Show will air from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The pregame show begins at 11:30 a.m. followed by the game and then postgame “Husky Talk” with Nathan.

Stations on the UConn IMG Sports Radio Football Network are:

• WTIC 1080-AM in Hartford, CT
• WILI 1400-AM in Willimantic, CT
• WELI 960-AM in New Haven, CT
• WGCH 1490-AM in Greenwich, CT

The UConn IMG Sports Network airs the UConn Football Coach’s Show presented by Webster Bank throughout the fall, this week on Wednesday evening at the Wood-n-Tap in Vernon, Conn. Hosted by Joe D’Ambrosio, the show is heard on WTIC NewsTalk 1080 and WAVZ-1300 AM in New Haven.

Here’s a full look at the 2014 UConn Football schedule.

UConn Huskies head football coach Bob Diaco held his first pre-game press conference as a college head coach on Monday in anticipation of Friday night’s game against the BYU Cougars at 7 p.m. at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT.

Here’s a sampling of what he had to say:

Diaco got things started talking about how the team is ready for game week finally. He said there’s a change in energy.

He was asked what his emotions were like and he said he wasn’t nervous as of now for his first game as a college football head coach. He said the players have to go out and play.

He talked about BYU QB Taysom Hill being part of a physical team that is well coached. He said they are a well disciplined tough team.

Since BYU plays a faster paced offense, he said he will do his best to rotate players in and out. He’ll try to do it when the Cougars do it and hopes that the fast pace doesn’t hurt the student-athletes.

Diaco stated that there are no changes to the two-deep depth chart that was released at the end of camp.

He was asked about protecting the home field and said it’s very critical that they do that. He said the fans in the state have a great heart and doesn’t want those great fans to go home unhappy in a quiet car. He wants them to go home talking about this player or that play and joining in with the players singing the fight song at the end of the game.

Diaco said Casey Cochran has improved physically and has done a better job of protecting the ball. He said since he’s taken over there’s been no change in Cochran’s leadership style.

He said he talked with the running backs after Lyle McCombs left letting them know there were going to be more opportunities for them. Max DeLorenzo will probably see a bulk of the carries but the other three freshman (Josh Marriner, Ron Johnson, Arkeel Newsome) will see some as well.

He said DeLorenzo is a much better pass blocker but the three freshman are all willing to learn.

One of the things from the two deep was that John Green had moved to cornerback from wide receiver. While it was a move of nessecssity, Diaco said Green accepted the challenge and is willing to do what ever it takes for the team to win. Said Green is one of the more faster players on the team, a player of high football intelligence.

He said the defense will do the best job they can containing BYU QB Hill but he’s going to make his plays. Just need to limit the amount of them.

B.J. McBryde and Reuben Frank are seniors who haven’t played a lot but will be a big part of the defense that will try to stop BYU’s complicated offense. He said it’s almost like a triple option.

He said all the linebackers will play. He said as much as it is about preparation, playing in the games will allow them to get better.

Diaco stated that LB Graham Stewart has improved a great deal, has cleaned up his eyes meaning that they don’t roam as much anymore. He said captain Marquise Vann is and will be a very productive linebacker. Said he’s looking forward to watching Jefferson Ashiru play.

He also said the Cole Ormsby has gotten a lot better and continues to do. He said Vontae Diggs, Cameron Stapleton, Jon Hicks all in the same group.

He stated that opening with BYU will let them know where they stand and what they need to do going forward. Test against a formidable opponent gives them a instant barometer of where the program is at.

He said the offensive line is much improved from where it was nine months ago. But they still have a ways to go.

He said it’s a little hard to prepare for BYU with the changes in the roster but said it not as bad because they recruit the same type of player year in and year out.

Diaco stated the defense will have a different look than what he had with Notre Dame when they played BYU the past two years.

He said DeLorenzo can do all the jobs and is a well respected player. He received a lot of votes for captain.

He stated captain Byron Jones is a hard worker on and off the field. Not only just in football but academically, socially and in the strength and conditioning part of it all.

He said Jones, Cochran, Hicks, Marriner, Stewart, captain Alex Mateas and RT Andreas Knappe earned “Iron Huskies” awards during the strength and conditioning part of summer.

The team is healthy and that has to due with the players respecting each other.

Knappe is getting better but won’t play.

He said Deshon Foxx, Brian Lemelle, Marriner and Newsome will all see time returning kickoffs.

He ended his press conference with a lot of energy, almost like he flipped a switch when asked about what he wants from the team. Here’s the video.

We’ll have more later from the press conference as well as reactions from the available players as they get ready for their first game of the season.

This in from UConn via USA Basketball:

COLORADO SPRINGS – Featuring 27 athletes, the 2014 USA Basketball Women’s National Team will begin training in defense of the USA’s FIBA World Championship title on Sept. 8 at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Additionally, the USA Basketball Women’s National Team Player Selection Committee has added a pair of athletes to the 2014-16 USA Basketball Women’s National Team roster in four-time USA Basketball gold medalist Bria Hartley (Washington Mystics) and three-time USA Basketball gold medalist Chiney Ogwumike (Connecticut Sun), and they are scheduled to take part in the fall training camp. The final 12-member, 2014 USA Basketball Women’s World Championship Team will be named prior to the start of the FIBA World Championship, which will be held Sept. 27-Oct. 5 in Ankara and Istanbul, Turkey.

Hartley and Ogwumike were extended an invitation to join the USA National Team by the USA Basketball Women’s National Team Player Selection Committee, which will also select the 2014 USA World Championship Team.

“The 27 who have been invited represent a cross section of what the USA National Team is ultimately all about,” said Geno Auriemma, 2013-16 USA National Team and University of Connecticut head coach. “It’s some of the best players in the world. It’s a combination of past Olympic and World Championship gold medalists. It’s also young players who have also won gold medals at various levels of USA Basketball, pros in the WNBA, college players, veterans and rookies and everything in between. I think we’re going to be able to pick a 12-player roster that’s going to be as good as any team we’ve ever had.

“Coming out of college last year, two of the best players in college basketball, they distinguished themselves over four years playing at the highest level and now they’ve gone onto play in the WNBA as rookies. With Chiney in Connecticut, I’ve had a chance to follow her progress. She’s been absolutely amazing and no one competes harder than Chiney does. Bria’s gone to Washington and played a great role in helping them make the playoffs this year with such a young roster that they have. So, I’m excited about the possibility of having both of them in the camp. I know both of them really wanted to be there last fall and couldn’t, so this is a great opportunity for them and I’m looking forward to seeing them out there.”

“Bria Hartley and Chiney Ogwumike were both invited to the USA National Team training camp last fall, but were unable to make it,” said Carol Callan, USA Basketball women’s national team director and member of the committee. “They have remained on the committee’s radar and with their USA Basketball international experience and play this season in the WNBA, the committee felt that we should extend an invitation to continue their involvement with the USA National Team.”

Athletes invited to participate in the fall training camp in hopes of being named to the 2014 USA World Championship Team include: Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx), Sue Bird (Seattle Storm), DeWanna Bonner (Phoenix Mercury), Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever), Tina Charles (New York Liberty), Elena Delle Donne (Chicago Sky), Skylar Diggins (Tulsa Shock), Stefanie Dolson (Washington Mystics), Candice Dupree (Phoenix Mercury), Sylvia Fowles (Chicago Sky), Brittney Griner (Phoenix Mercury), Hartley, Briann January (Indiana Fever), Jantel Lavender (Los Angeles Sparks), Kayla McBride (San Antonio Stars), Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta Dream), Maya Moore (Minnesota Lynx), Chiney Ogwumike, Nnemkadi Ogwumike (Los Angeles Sparks), Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks), Danielle Robinson (San Antonio Stars), Odyssey Sims (Tulsa Shock), Breanna Stewart (University of Connecticut), Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury), Courtney Vandersloot (Chicago Sky), Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota Lynx) and Monica Wright (Minnesota Lynx).

Athletes listed above who are not participating in the WNBA Finals will begin training camp Sept. 8-10 at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. WNBA teams still in the playoff hunt include the Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever in the East and Minnesota Lynx and Phoenix Mercury in the West.

Hartley first won gold with the 2010 USA U18 National Team at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship, then collected gold medals playing for USA Basketball at the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championship, 2012 FIBA 3×3 World Championship and 2013 World University Games. She is a two-time NCAA champion with the University of Connecticut and currently has the Washington Mystics in the WNBA playoff hunt. The No. 7 pick in the 2014 WNBA Draft, Hartley averaged 9.7 points and 3.1 assists in the 2014 WNBA season and aided the Mystics to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Chiney Ogwumike teamed up with Hartley to win gold on the 2010 USA U18 National Team and 2012 USA 3×3 World Championship Team, and she captured her third gold medal at the 2011 World University Games. The No. 1 pick in the 2014 WNBA Draft and 2014 WNBA All-Star averaged 15.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game during the 2014 season and is a two-time (May, June) WNBA Rookie of the Month award winner. The USA National Team training camp roster includes three-time (2004, 2008, 2012) Olympic gold medalists Bird, Catchings and Taurasi; two-time Olympic gold medalists (2008, 2012) Augustus, Fowles and Parker; as well as 2012 Olympic gold medalists Charles, Moore, McCoughtry and Whalen.

Bird and Catchings have won two FIBA World Championship gold medals (2002, 2010); while Charles, Dupree, Fowles, McCoughtry, Moore and Whalen captured FIBA World Championship gold in 2010; and Augustus, Bird, Catchings, Parker and Thompson played on the 2006 USA World Championship Team that returned with the bronze medal.

The USA will compete in a pair of exhibition contests during its domestic training. The first game is the USA Basketball Women’s National Team Showcase, a Red versus White intrasquad game scheduled for Sept. 11 (7 p.m. EDT) at the University of Delaware’s Bob Carpenter Center in Newark, Delaware.

ESPN2 will televise both USA Basketball Women’s National Team exhibition games, and both games will also available on WatchESPN.

Traveling up the coast to Bridgeport, Connecticut, the USA will train Sept. 14 alongside 2013 FIBA Americas Championship silver medalist Canada in Bridgeport, prior to the two teams squaring off in a Sept. 15 exhibition contest (7 p.m. EDT) at Webster Bank Arena.

Tickets for the USA Basketball Showcase can be purchased through the Bob Carpenter Center box office, by calling 302-831-2257 or online via ticketmaster.com; while tickets for the USA-Canada contest can be purchased through the box office at Webster Bank Arena, by calling 1-800-745-3000 or online via www.websterbankarena.com.

In addition to the domestic exhibition schedule, the USA squad will play four additional exhibition games in Europe against 2012 Olympic silver medalist France, 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Australia, 2010 FIBA World Championship silver medalist Czech Republic and 2013 FIBA Asia bronze medalist China, prior to the start of the World Championship.

Finalists for the 2014 USA World Championship Team will compete in the 2014 France International Tournament in the Stade Pierre de Coubertin in Paris, Sept. 19-21. Opening against Australia on Sept. 19, the U.S. will face China on Sept. 20 and close the round-robin tournament against host France on Sept. 21.

From there, the Americans will head to Prague, Czech Republic, for an exhibition against Czech Republic on Sept. 23, before traveling to Istanbul for their final pre-World Championship preparations.

Auriemma will be assisted on the sideline by DePaul University head coach Doug Bruno, Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve and University of South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley.

The USA owns a record eight gold medals, one silver medal and two bronze medals in FIBA World Championship play, while compiling an all-time 97-21 record at the event. In 2010, the most recent World Championship, the U.S. finished with a perfect 9-0 record and the gold medal.

In addition to Callan, members of the USA Basketball Women’s National Team Player Selection Committee include WNBA appointees Reneé Brown, WNBA chief of basketball operations and player relations, Dan Hughes, San Antonio Silver Stars head coach and general manager, and Chris Sienko, Connecticut Sun vice president and general manager; and three-time Olympic and two-time FIBA World Championship gold medalist Katie Smith, who played in nearly 200 games for USA Basketball from 1993-2008, and serves as the athlete representative.